Theme - Gender

• Gender


  • The play examines gender roles and inequalities
  • At the time the play is set (1912), women were expected to be submissive to men
  • Sheila subverts this when she gives Gerald the ring
  • He would have been a good societal match for her and her family, but she refuses him
  • Priestley challenges these societal expectations
• Women

  • Explores changing attitudes towards women
  • Sheila and Eva represent the "New Women" challenging social norms
  • Contrasts the older generation (Mrs Birling) with the younger (Sheila)
  • Mrs Birling has a chance to challenge her views, and she rejects it
  • Examines gender roles and inequalities
  • Eva faces hardships as a lower-class woman in a male-dominated society
  • Priestley challenges these traditional gender norms
  • Criticises male behaviour in relation to women (Gerald and Eric)